Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 22628 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 113(@200wpm)___ 91(@250wpm)___ 75(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22628 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 113(@200wpm)___ 91(@250wpm)___ 75(@300wpm)
“Of course,” rasps Ryan, lifting his gaze to mine. As usual, those blue eyes are hot and hungry already. “Whatever you want. We’ll take it one step at a time, Amy.”
I nod, smiling again.
“Well, it’s just that it seems you’ve wanted to be daddies for a while now, so I guess I have a few questions. You are forty-five, after all. Why didn’t you find a surrogate? Wouldn’t that be easier? Surrogates are expensive, but I know you can afford one.”
The men share a glance and then take a deep breath.
“You’re right. We have wanted to be fathers for a long time now. More than twenty years in fact,” says Ryan. “Some guys are just ready for the responsibility faster, and Raider and I have wanted a child for years.”
I look at them with a nonplussed expression.
“But you started Hot Nights NYC twenty years ago, right?” I ask slowly. “Weren’t you busy getting the business up and off the ground?”
“We were,” acknowledges Raider. “But we’ve always been family oriented, and Hot Nights was kind of like a family to us. Some of our employees have been with us for more than a decade now, and we treat them like family.”
I nod and giggle.
“I know. Charlene loves you.”
The two men laugh too because I finally met Charlene just a few weeks ago, and she doesn’t sound like her voice at all. Whereas her telephone persona comes off as sultry and seductive, in real life, Charlene is a grandma of seventy with gray hair and bifocals. She shook my hand cheerily while welcoming me into the fold.
But then Ryan and Raider seize my gaze again.
“Hot Nights has been an incredible experience for us, and we’re proud of the business we’ve built,” rumbles Raider. “But it only emphasized how much we want a real family. A woman to call our own. A child. More children, if you’re willing.”
I nod.
“Of course I can understand. Being a mother is one of my dreams too. But back to my original question: why didn’t you use a surrogate if you’ve wanted a baby for so long? It can be pretty easy actually, almost like ordering take-out. Plus, you could even get two embryos made, one for each of you.”
The men share another glance.
“It’s not like ordering take-out, sweetheart. Not even close. But let me ask you this question: where would we get the eggs?” says Raider rhetorically.
That stops me for a moment.
“An egg donor?”
Raider nods.
“Yes, that could be a solution. But honey, we don’t want to pick a donor out from a binder. We don’t want to read forty pages about her height, weight, hobbies and medical background. That’s no way to go about selecting a mother for our child. Besides, did you hear about the scandal at MedicalMiracles out in Jersey last month? It wasn’t about eggs, it was for donor sperm. A bunch of women have brought a lawsuit against MedicalMiracles because one of the donors who fathered a lot of children actually has autism and completely faked his biographical information. The women say they never would have selected him, if they had known his true nature.”
I gasp.
“Oh my gosh, the fertility clinic didn’t do any due diligence? Are the kids okay?”
The men look serious and nod.
“They’re okay, except quite a few of them are special needs. There’s nothing wrong with special needs children, but I don’t think any of the women sought that out when they were selecting a donor.”
I nod, murmuring.
“Of course not. I’m so sorry this happened.”
They share another look and take a deep breath.
“I know, sweetheart. We’re sorry too, and it’s a risk that we don’t want to take,” adds Ryan. “There’s too much fraud out there, and the entire fertility industry is in its infancy. There aren’t enough controls, and there’s no recourse if something goes wrong either. That’s why we wanted to meet a real woman, curvy and fertile. But therein lies the problem. What real woman would take us?”
I almost laugh out loud, staring at their handsome faces with the blazing blue eyes and chiseled features.
“I think any woman would take you guys,” I say softly. “You’re both gorgeous, and you’re successful and rich too. Who wouldn’t want to date you?”
Raider and Ryan smile at me fondly.
“That’s because you’re in love with us,” Raider growls. “But believe it or not, not a lot of women want to date guys who are in our line of business. Especially if we personally handle house-calls every now and then.”
“But you’ve stopped,” I say quickly.
“We’ve stopped,” confirms Ryan. “Ever since meeting you, we’ve put a stop to the whole thing, and in fact, we weren’t with anyone through the service for years before you came along, Amy. But that’s the thing. A lot of women get squeamish when they learn about our profession, and that’s an unworkable situation for us.”